Yeah try not to let them convince you the vitamin injections are necessary, they can honestly do more harm than good, vets very rarely understand that and how to appropriately treat tortoises, it can be tricky finding a good vet for themThanks a lot! Its very helpful.
I will then talk to our vet one more time about those injections and see what he says.
Thanks
Thank youIn your guys case if there is indeed a deficiency, they might not hurt but I’m thinking further tests might need to be ran… either way improved diet and husbandry will hopefully get them on the mend, wishing you all the best
Im glad the injection we gave him (one) was only half of what could be given and we made it even less (we do it ourselves at home). I know that deficiency is possible in our case because of his poor diet for all those years but i might have read a bit too much online about possible and extreme side effects in case there is an overdose. The vet did say its usually the turtles to suffer from it but it is possible Frankling has it too. Anyway, in the meantime i will find a new terrarium for him. Thanks a lot 
Yep, he sure is a Russian. That sure tells something about your previous vet, glad you changed to a new one.
Your vet is right - turtles often get it because their captive diet often lacks vitamin A. Tortoises eat mostly greens which are high in vitamin A, so deficiency is very rare.Thank you
Thank you.
Yes, this one looks decent. What size is it?
150x60x60
Its a good design. but much too small. You'd need four of them. Most people build their own because there is nothing available yo buy. you need a minimum of 244x122cm. You can get a sheet of ply wood, add sides and legs, hang your light fixtures, add the substrate and furniture, and you are good to go.
Yes! Till we build a new one we decided to take the wooden frame of what he has outside in the garden and start with it. For now it will be 1,3 m x 1,1 m but i guess its way better than the 'terrarium' he has now. And the one we want to make will be even bigger as suggested. Im also going to another vet tomorrow for a second opinion on those injections and to ask for a blood test.I agree that it’s too small for an adult like yours, funnily enough though making your own will likely work out bigger and cheaper!
hey heyHello and welcome! He does appear Russian to me! So with that in mind I’m going to include a bunch of info below that covers everything set up wise, you may already know some of it or have some of the right equipment, but hopefully you can apply information where changes are needed to your set up. I included absolutely everything for any new members that may come across the threads
As adults they need a minimum of an 8x4 enclosure, roaming is vital to tortoise health, it aids digestion and strengthen their muscles. If they spend the majority of the year indoors due to your climate, they’ll need closet to that size you can get indoors.
I’m going to include some information below on an example of an appropriate indoor set up, it includes the correct levels and equipment etc, including the appropriate indoor uv
Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer.
Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f. The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.
You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.
Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. If you’re in a cold climate, you’ll most likely need these but feel free to double check your night temps first, if it stays around 65 you’re good.
Indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes(could possibly be the case here). The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and some examples of how to mount them. The Arcadia comes with the reflector fitting but you’ll need to buy it separately with the reptisun
With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.
For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The problem with top soil is unless you’ve composted it yourself, you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, it could be something toxic. Sand can irritate the eyes and be an impaction risk, moss is an impaction risk too. If that is sand you are using, it needs replacing asap.
You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting a little too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed.
I’d personally recommend you make your own base to go as big as you possibly can for the space you have. The closer you can get to an 8x4 size the better.
When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds, or take a large bookcase, take out the shelves and lie flat, or just make their own, for all these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough! They can be professional escape artists
I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy to hang their lighting, use a temperature gun to determine how high the basking bulb needs to be, the uv I suggested needs to be mounted 18-20 inches from the substrate(Arcadia, double check reptisun)
For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.
I’d also always recommend getting your hands on a temp gun, they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment or for checking your monitors are correct
Some of the examples are small but hopefully they give you an idea
For the diet side of things you may find this link below useful, leafy greens and weeds are the way to go with these guys, perhaps you could buy seeds online and grow them in organic soil(no fertilisers or chemicals) in a planter the tortoise doesn’t have access, forage as they grow
The Tortoise Table - Home
The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise ownerswww.thetortoisetable.org.uk
Hope some of this helps!
Hi!
Przepraszam, ale twój żółw nie ma dobrych warunków. Terrarium jest za małe. Podłoże jest złe, a dziób trzeba przyciąć. Żółw powinien mieć glinę, ziemię ogrodową i piasek w proporcjach 1:1:1. Najlepsza jest żarówka metahalogenowa, z takim dziobem żółw nic nie zje. Napisz, czym go karmisz? Karm go sepią. Terrarium powinno być większe, nie takie, w którym go trzymasz. Prawidłowa wilgotność w terrarium: 50% wilgotności w ciągu dnia i nawet do 80% w nocy. Twoje podłoże jest zakurzone, więc bolą go oczy. Poszukaj weterynarza od gadów polecanego przez innych, ponieważ weterynarz od psów nie wie nic o gadach.
Hello!
Twój żółw ma złe warunki. Za małe terrarium, złe podłoze,
Your turtle has bad conditions, bad substrate. Write down what you are feeding it. You fed him banana which contains a lot of sugar. In a tortoise it can cause illness because it contains a lot of sugar. If a tortoise becomes ill, it is not immediately apparent. Your tortoise should eat field plants, get sepia, have a metahalogen bulb, the substrate is clay, sand and garden soil in a ratio of 1:1:1. Your turtle's beak is too big. This beak should be shortened. Because of this beak he cannot eat. He should be bathed and have water to drink. To a reptile specialist vet go and do a blood test for kidney and liver.
Twój żółw ma złe warunki, złe podłoże. Zapisz, czym go karmisz. Dałeś mu banana, który zawiera dużo cukru. U żółwia może to spowodować chorobę, ponieważ zawiera dużo cukru. Jeśli żółw zachoruje, nie jest to od razu widoczne. Twój żółw powinien jeść rośliny polne, mieć sepię, mieć żarówkę metahalogenową, podłożem jest glina, piasek i ziemia ogrodowa w stosunku 1:1:1. Dziób twojego żółwia jest za duży. Ten dziób powinien zostać skrócony. Z powodu tego dzioba nie może jeść. Powinien zostać wykąpany i mieć wodę do picia. Idź do weterynarza specjalisty od gadów i zrób badanie krwi na nerki i wątrobę.
thank you!
